Smaller the better??? 20" Barrel???
05-09-2010, 06:21 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location:
Posts: 60
Smaller the better??? 20" Barrel???
Hi everyone, I have a Browning BPS slug/deer gun that I bought a 28" barrel for (to shoot waterfowl). I decided that I'd like to go turkey hunting, so I just ordered a 20" Browning Turkey Special barrel for it. It's going to arrive the day after tomorrow, so maybe I'm a little late in asking this, but is a 20 inch barrel too short? I figure it must be okay since that's how browning makes it, but I noticed none of Browning's "turkey guns" have anything shorter than a 22" barrel. The dimensions of the stock are the same as other similar guns for turkey. Has anyone ever fired a shotgun out of a 20" barrel? Will this also be good for upland game? Or personal defense? Any insight would be appreciated.
05-09-2010, 11:35 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Waipahu HI USA
Posts: 2,915
Look through other posts about barrel length and turkey hunting. There's a lot of informative responses given. The main reason turkey barrels are made short is for weight considerations and lugging a turkey gun through heavy cover.
Short barrels for wingshooting....not a good idea. A lot of shooters assume a shorter barrel will help them point faster (snap shoot). Shortening the barrel will move the balance point backwards, making the gun stock heavy. A stock heavy gun will be more difficult to swing smoothly. You may be able to point at the right spot when swinging on a bird, but can you keep it where it needs to be?
Everybody's different, but 20" for upland seems too short, unless it's for a dedicated youth gun. (or you add weight to the fore end to move the balance point forward) For upland shooting, a barrel in the area of 26" ought to do.
It's easier to convert a shotgun for wingshooting to turkey than the other way around.
Short barrels for wingshooting....not a good idea. A lot of shooters assume a shorter barrel will help them point faster (snap shoot). Shortening the barrel will move the balance point backwards, making the gun stock heavy. A stock heavy gun will be more difficult to swing smoothly. You may be able to point at the right spot when swinging on a bird, but can you keep it where it needs to be?
Everybody's different, but 20" for upland seems too short, unless it's for a dedicated youth gun. (or you add weight to the fore end to move the balance point forward) For upland shooting, a barrel in the area of 26" ought to do.
It's easier to convert a shotgun for wingshooting to turkey than the other way around.
05-11-2010, 03:01 PM
#3
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location:
Posts: 60
Not that anyone appears interested, but I received it today and I think it's going to be okay. It's a 20.5" barrel, but the choke brings it to about 22", so I assume that's okay. I haven't been to the range to sight it in yet.
05-15-2010, 03:28 PM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New Hartford, NY
Posts: 919
yeah 20 inches should be fine. Since you will be shooting turkey at short range any performance you lose from the shorter barrel will be negligible. plus the shorter barrel will make for a handier easier to maneuver gun - good luck with it
05-15-2010, 04:45 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 2,820
The ammo companies base there shell velocites on a 30" barrel. So you loose so much per inch as you go shorter in barrel length. A 24-26" barrel is about perfect. Only advantage to that short of barrel is ease of movement in the woods. Does it really matter? Not really, personal preference all the way.
